Come What May
by sarahhjanesmith
Summary: Laura changes her mind about getting treatment for her cancer. (babyfic)
1. Chapter 1

"Can I hold her?" Laura rasped, motioning for Bill to move her bed to its seated position. He pressed the button, allowing her to "sit up," then placed their two hour old daughter into her arms. Laura smiled, a small hum escaping her as she gazed adoringly at her child. It had been a long labor. Nineteen hours. It was worth every minute.

"Hi there. It's nice to finally meet you," Laura said, allowing the baby to grasp her index finger. "We weren't sure if either of us would make it, but here we are," Laura whispered tearfully.

Bill could feel his heart breaking into pieces. They had a daughter. A beautiful, six pound seven ounce, blue eyed, daughter. She was perfect. Perfect just like her mother. Bill sniffled, not even attempting to hide his tears. Laura looked up at him, her own tired eyes filled with tears.

"Your daddy is going to take such good care of you," Laura continued, stroking the baby's cheek with the finger she'd just released.

_Don't talk that way. _

_You aren't going anywhere. _

_Nobody's going anywhere. _

He knew he would only be lying to Laura, and to himself. There was no way he could guarantee that. Laura was sick. She'd refused treatment, said she didn't want to harm the baby. They found out her cancer had returned when she was five months pregnant.

_"Bill, it's back. My cancer's back." _

They had both cried. Laura had been afraid she would never see the baby. They both had, really.  
Her pregnancy was monitored very closely after that. Constant check-ups and visits to their quarters. They never complained. The baby's health was what mattered now. They knew that.

"What are we going to call her?" Laura asked softly.

"I want you to name her," he said, coming to stand beside her bed. Laura smiled sadly, readjusting the baby's position a bit.

"Mae," Laura said, looking up at Bill.

"It's perfect. Mae Adama," Bill repeated the name, leaning down to kiss Laura on the top of her head.

"I don't want to leave her, Bill."

"You might not have to. We're going to fight this, Laura."

She nodded. She'd been prepared to give up, but not now. Not after holding her child in her arms.

"I'll go through the treatment," she said suddenly.

"Are you sure?" He hoped she was. She nodded again.

"I want to be there for her, for both of you, as long as I can."

Mae let out a loud wail, breaking her parents away from their conversation.

"Oh my Gods, what's the matter my sweet girl?" Laura cooed, bouncing her child slightly.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," Cottle said, appearing from behind the curtain that separated Laura from the other patients.

"I'd say so," Laura replied, giving him a smile.

"Does this young lady have a name yet?" He asked, handing Laura a bottle. He had told her it wasn't a good idea to breastfeed, and she had agreed with him.

"Yes, she does. It's Mae," she said proudly.

"I like it. It's simple."

She thanked him, but didn't look up. She was far too enthralled with her daughter at the moment.

"I've decided to go through treatment. Now that she's born, I'd like to start as soon as possible," Laura informed him.

"I can start you as soon as this week if you'd like."

"That's fine," she said. Bill could hear the fear in her voice, and took her hand in his own, squeezing it tightly.

After Cottle finished checking up on Laura and Mae, he left them alone once again. Bill eased himself down beside Laura in bed, gently putting his arm around her.

"She's so beautiful," he said.

"She's breathtaking. I'm so proud to be her mother." Laura leaned up against him, still feeling quite exhausted both from the labor and her cancer. Bill reached out, silently offering his index finger to Mae, who gladly accepted, wrapping her tiny fingers around the calloused skin.

Laura could feel a sob building in her chest. This was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of her life, but it was unbelievably bittersweet. She had a daughter, a daughter who was healthy and whole and perfect. She also had cancer, a disease that could tear her apart and take her away from her child and the man she loved. The man she'd never said she loved out loud. The sob that had been building escaped, and Laura used all the strength she could muster to bring her baby girl closer.

"I'm going to fight so hard to stay with you," she said through her tears. "I'll do everything I can, but if I don't make it, you'll still be alright. You've got the greatest daddy in the whole fleet. He'll always be there for you."

Bill felt as though he would fall apart at any moment. He felt so much love for the woman sitting next to him, and for the child she held. He couldn't stand the thought of losing either one of them.

"Laura?" He asked quietly.

"Hmm?" She responded without looking away from Mae, much as she'd done with Cottle.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered, turning to look at him. He smiled, reaching out to brush away her tears.

"About time."


	2. Chapter 2

"The nausea should go away in about an hour," Cottle said as he turned to leave.

Laura nodded and rested her head against the pillow, breathing deeply in an attempt not to throw up. She closed her eyes. _Maybe I'll get some sleep out of this. _It turned out, she'd be getting something even better.

"Love and Bullets, by Nick Taylo," Bill began, taking a seat in the chair beside Laura's bed. Her eyes fluttered open, but she didn't say anything. She simply smiled and enjoyed the sound of his voice.

After he read through several chapters, she turned to look at him, and was overwhelmed by how adorable what she saw was. He was sitting there, a book in his hands, and Mae in a sling against his chest.

"Aw, aren't you two precious?" She joked.

"We try. How are you doing?"

"Not too great, honestly. Seeing you two helps," she smiled.

"How much do you have to do today?" He asked, placing the book on her bedside table.

"Press conference, Quorum meeting... the usual," she sighed.

"No matter what happens today, just remember, you'll get to come home to this face," Bill said, tilting forward slightly to reveal a sleeping Mae.

"There certainly isn't a more comforting thought than that."

* * *

By the time Laura reached their quarters, she was exhausted. She'd been feeling awful all day, and being the president of the twelve colonies wasn't exactly easy to begin with. She was looking forward to kicking off her shoes and having some alone time with her child and her favorite Admiral.

When the hatch door was shut firmly behind her, Laura moved toward the table, where she found a note.

_Laura, _

_Went to pick up Mae from daycare. _

_Back soon. _

_-Bill. _

She left the note where she'd found it. Sitting down on the couch, she waited. Ten or so minutes later, the hatch door opened, and in stepped Bill, cradling Mae in his arms.

"Someone is very excited to see you," he said, giving Laura a smile. She held out her arms immediately, more than ready to hold her daughter.

"Hi there, how's my girl today? I missed you," she said softly, rocking her daughter back and forth.

She looked very pale, Bill noticed. She also looked very tired.

"Have you eaten at all?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I haven't felt well enough," she admitted.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

She shook her head again and patted the spot beside her on the couch. She just wanted time to sit with him. Time to lean up against him and cuddle their daughter and just... be.

"You need to eat, Laura," he whispered, placing a kiss against her cheek.

"I won't be able to keep anything down."

He nodded in understanding. He wished there was something, anything, he could do. Meanwhile, Mae was babbling away happily in Laura's arms, not a care in the world. It gave Laura a great deal of comfort that Mae was too young to realize her mother was sick. In fact, at just one week old, she didn't have anything to worry about, except when she was being fed, maybe. Laura carefully brought Mae's head closer to her nose and inhaled deeply.

"You smell so wonderful. People really aren't kidding about that newborn baby smell," she said sweetly. Bill chuckled and leaned his head against Laura's.

"I'm going to memorize how good you smell, and what your laugh sounds like, and your beautiful face, and your wispy hair..." She trailed off, planting a gentle kiss against her child's forehead.

"By the time you have all that memorized, she'll grow and it'll change," Bill pointed out. Laura nodded, looking a bit glum.

"What if I don't get to see her grow up?"

"Don't think about that. Not now."

"It's all I think about," she said softly, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"You're going to make it through this. I know you will," he told her, wiping away her tears.

"I wish I could believe that, I really do," she whispered, placing another kiss against Mae's forehead.

* * *

It had been a few days. Laura was alone with Mae in their quarters, trying to get her to go down for a nap.

"I need you to go to sleep so I can get some work done," she said, rocking the baby back and forth. She also wanted to get some rest herself, but that seemed highly unlikely.

Mae reached up and grabbed a fistful of Laura's hair in response. As Laura tried to gently pry her hair from her daughter's tiny hand, she noticed something strange.

_No. Not now. _

She gave the strand a slight tug, and just as she had feared, it fell easily into her hand. She felt tears burning in her eyes. She knew she would lose her hair, but this was too soon. She wasn't ready.

Mae, picking up on her mother's sudden stress, began to whimper softly.

"It's alright, it isn't your fault," Laura said, allowing Mae to grasp her index finger.

"I think I'll take a nap with you."

Laura moved to lie down on the couch, Mae resting comfortably on her chest. She quickly drifted off to sleep, Laura singing to her softly and stroking her head gently.

* * *

When Bill finally made it back from the CIC, he found her lying on the couch, Mae sleeping soundly against her, and what appeared to be a piece of hair on the floor.

"Oh Laura," he said softly, picking up the strand and examining it. He looked up when he heard her sniffle, and was met with a pair of tear-filled green eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, her voice hollow.

"Alright," he replied, kissing her on the forehead.


End file.
